As he sat in the pressurized capsule waiting for a 55-story, ultra-thin helium balloon to fill and carry him into the stratosphere Tuesday morning, a 25 mph gust rushed across a field near the airport in Roswell.

The wind spun the still-inflating balloon as if it was a giant plastic grocery bag, raising concerns at mission control about whether it was damaged.

Mission technical director Art Thompson said the earliest the team could take another shot would be Thursday because of weather and the need for the crew to get some rest.